There were 4,477 notifications to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) in the four week period, 18 August to 14 September 1999 (Tables 1 and 2). The numbers of reports for selected diseases have been compared with historical data for corresponding periods in the previous three years (Figure 1).

There were 3,853 reports received by the Virology and Serology Laboratory Reporting Scheme (LabVISE) in the four week period, 12 August to 8 September 1999 (Tables 3 and 4).

The Australian Sentinel Practice Research Network (ASPREN) data for weeks 33 to 36, ending 12 September 1999, are included in this issue of CDI (Table 5).

Table 1. Notifications of diseases preventable by vaccines recommended by the NHMRC for routine childhood immunisation, received by State and Territory health authorities in the period 18 August to 14 September 1999

Disease1

ACT

NSW

NT

Qld

SA

Tas

Vic

WA

This period 1999

This period 1998

Year to date 19992

Year to date 1998

Diphtheria

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

H. influenzae type b infection

0

1

0

0

1

0

1

0

3

2

30

22

Measles3

0

1

0

0

0

1

21

3

26

31

202

255

Mumps

1

2

2

0

0

1

4

7

17

30

129

139

Pertussis

5

123

0

0

15

108

44

7

302

312

2,619

4,894

Rubella3

0

2

0

1

0

0

17

3

23

104

259

578

Tetanus

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

1

2

4

NN. Not Notifiable
1. No notification of poliomyelitis has been received since 1978.
2. Totals comprise data from all States and Territories. Cumulative figures are subject to retrospective revision, so there may be discrepancies between the number of new notifications and the increment in the cumulative figure from the previous period.
3. Notifications for Victoria include suspected cases.
4. Includes congenital rubella.

Table 2. Notifications of diseases received by State and Territory health authorities in the period 18 August to 14 September 1999

Disease1,2,3

ACT

NSW

NT

Qld

SA

Tas

Vic

WA

This period 1999

This period 1998

Year to date 19994

Year to date 1998

Arbovirus infection (NEC)

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

70

52

Barmah Forest virus infection

0

9

2

0

0

0

1

2

14

31

507

435

Brucellosis

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

2

20

30

Campylobacteriosis5

21

-

24

6

184

51

369

110

765

1,136

8,787

8,340

Chancroid

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

Chlamydial infection (NEC)6,7

17

146

65

6

66

34

208

146

688

975

9,518

7,659

Cholera

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

0

3

3

Dengue

0

3

1

0

0

0

0

1

5

22

163

378

Donovanosis7

0

0

1

0

NN

0

0

0

1

1

14

26

Gonococcal infection8

2

77

76

1

12

2

41

76

287

424

3,869

3,732

Haemolytic uraemic syndrome9

NN

1

0

0

0

0

NN

0

1

3

13

10

Hepatitis A

0

13

11

1

3

1

29

42

100

133

1,159

2,067

Hepatitis B incident

0

2

0

0

0

0

1

2

5

19

202

190

Hepatitis B unspecified10

0

137

0

0

0

7

208

21

373

496

4,858

4,466

Hepatitis C incident

0

6

0

-

1

0

1

10

18

33

210

213

Hepatitis C unspecified10

8

458

19

17

98

33

608

83

1,324

1,596

14,059

13,559

Hepatitis (NEC)11

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

NN

0

2

14

12

Hydatid infection

0

NN

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

7

22

32

Legionellosis

0

2

0

0

3

0

3

6

14

12

191

176

Leprosy

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

4

2

Leptospirosis

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

2

5

7

276

117

Listeriosis

0

0

0

0

1

0

2

0

3

4

33

42

Malaria

2

10

9

0

1

1

4

4

31

32

518

564

Meningococcal infection

3

23

0

0

3

1

19

9

58

62

373

308

Ornithosis

0

NN

0

0

2

1

5

0

8

1

60

27

Q fever

0

9

0

1

0

0

2

2

14

49

324

386

Ross River virus infection

0

13

4

0

1

1

4

11

34

81

3,986

2,412

Salmonellosis (NEC)

0

71

12

4

24

4

57

48

220

376

5,594

5,676

Shigellosis5

1

-

4

0

4

0

8

9

26

35

412

445

SLTEC, VTEC12

NN

0

0

NN

3

0

NN

NN

3

1

20

9

Syphilis13

3

36

19

1

0

0

0

3

62

188

1,299

1,095

TTP14

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Tuberculosis

2

19

2

0

5

0

1

5

34

87

632

693

Typhoid15

0

5

0

0

0

0

0

0

5

4

52

52

Yersiniosis (NEC)5

0

-

0

1

1

0

1

0

3

7

109

164

1. Diseases preventable by routine childhood immunisation are presented in Table 1.
2. For HIV and AIDS, see Tables 6 and 7.
3. No notifications have been received during 1999 for the following rare diseases: lymphogranuloma venereum, plague, rabies, yellow fever, or other viral haemorrhagic fevers.
4. Totals comprise data from all States and Territories. Cumulative figures are subject to retrospective revision so there may be discrepancies between the number of new notifications and the increment in the cumulative figure from the previous period.
5. Not reported for NSW because it is only notifiable as 'foodborne disease' or 'gastroenteritis in an institution'.
6. WA: genital only.
7. Notifications from NSW have been received since September 1998, and were first reported in CDI in Issue 23(9).
8. NT, Qld, SA and Vic: includes gonococcal neonatal ophthalmia.
9. Nationally reportable from August 1998.
10. Unspecified numbers should be interpreted with some caution as the magnitude may be a reflection of the numbers of testings being carried out.
11. Includes hepatitis D and E.
12. Infections with Shiga-like toxin (verotoxin) producing E. coli (SLTEC/VTEC) became nationally reportable in August 1998.
13. Includes congenital syphilis.
14. Thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura became nationally reportable in August 1998.
15. NSW, Qld: includes paratyphoid.
NN Not Notifiable.
NEC Not Elsewhere Classified.
- Elsewhere Classified.

Table 3. Virology and serology laboratory reports by State or Territory1 for the reporting period 12 August to 8 September 1999, and total reports for the year

State or Territory1

Total this period

Total reported in 19992,3

ACT

NSW

NT

Qld

SA

Tas

Vic

WA

Measles, mumps, rubella

Measles virus

3

3

143

Mumps virus

1

2

3

40

Rubella virus

2

41

1

2

1

47

108

Hepatitis viruses

Hepatitis A virus

13

19

11

43

296

Hepatitis D virus

1

1

5

Arboviruses

Ross River virus

6

10

65

1

2

84

1,215

Barmah Forest virus

14

1

15

135

Dengue not typed

2

2

40

Flavivirus (unspecified)

1

1

2

16

Adenoviruses

Adenovirus type 1

1

1

18

Adenovirus type 4

1

1

13

Adenovirus type 8

1

1

1

Adenovirus type 37

1

1

14

Adenovirus type 40

5

5

59

Adenovirus not typed/pending

26

10

19

26

81

898

Herpes viruses

Herpes virus type 6

3

3

10

Cytomegalovirus

17

44

30

10

101

851

Varicella-zoster virus

21

6

115

1

1

33

22

199

1,246

Epstein-Barr virus

6

6

216

1

8

8

245

1,740

Other DNA viruses

Papovavirus group

1

1

11

Molluscum contagiosum

2

2

13

Parvovirus

2

33

3

16

10

64

342

Picornavirus family

Coxsackievirus B5

1

1

6

Echovirus type 9

1

1

4

Echovirus type 11

23

2

25

44

Echovirus not typed/pending

1

1

120

Poliovirus type 1 (uncharacterised)

3

3

2

Poliovirus type 2 (uncharacterised)

2

2

21

Poliovirus type 3 (uncharacterised)

1

1

20

Rhinovirus (all types)

40

6

7

53

7

Enterovirus type 71 (BCR)

5

1

6

340

Enterovirus not typed/pending

1

2

8

4

51

66

621

Ortho/paramyxoviruses

Influenza A virus

92

1

112

72

125

402

1,432

Influenza A virus H3N2

4

4

27

Influenza B virus

37

10

4

6

57

182

Parainfluenza virus type 1

2

1

1

1

5

36

Parainfluenza virus type 2

7

2

9

95

Parainfluenza virus type 3

22

12

8

49

91

561

Parainfluenza virus type 4

1

1

3

Respiratory syncytial virus

189

1

151

1

190

134

666

2,307

Other RNA viruses

Rotavirus

256

82

65

403

1,507

Norwalk agent

3

3

60

Other

Chlamydia trachomatis not typed

45

62

301

4

48

460

2,305

Chlamydia pneumoniae

1

1

1

Chlamydia psittaci

3

3

73

Chlamydia species

2

4

6

17

Mycoplasma pneumoniae

5

1

103

26

2

137

854

Coxiella burnetii (Q fever)

4

1

37

1

43

144

Rickettsia spp - other

2

2

10

Streptococcus group A

4

12

87

103

142

Yersinia enterocolitica

1

1

10

Brucella species

3

3

5

Bordetella pertussis

1

1

133

11

2

148

526

Legionella longbeachae

2

2

31

Leptospira species

1

11

1

13

6

Treponema pallidum

8

130

86

1

225

311

Entamoeba histolytica

1

1

2

Total

0

821

249

1,620

4

5

547

607

3,853

19,046

1. State or Territory of postcode, if reported, otherwise State or Territory of reporting laboratory.
2. In 1999, data from the Institute of Clinical Pathology and Clinical Research, Westmead were under reported up to September.
3. Totals comprise data from all laboratories. Cumulative figures are subject to retrospective revision, so there may be discrepancies between the number of new notifications and the increment in the cumulative figure from the previous period.

Top of pageTable 5. Australian Sentinel Practice Research Network reports, weeks 33 to 36, 1999

Week number

33

34

35

36

Week ending on

22 August 1999

29 August 1999

5 September 1999

12 September 1999

Doctors reporting

56

49

49

30

Total encounters

7,839

7,103

6,876

4,130

Condition

Reports

Rate per 1,000 encounters

Reports

Rate per 1,000 encounters

Reports

Rate per 1,000 encounters

Reports

Rate per 1,000 encounters

Influenza

137

17

105

15

77

11

30

7

Rubella

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

0

Measles

2

0

2

0

2

0

0

0

Chickenpox

9

1

8

1

9

1

7

2

New diagnosis of asthma

14

2

3

0

7

1

7

2

Post operative wound sepsis

9

1

7

1

5

1

3

1

Gastroenteritis

61

8

53

7

58

8

35

8

The NNDSS is conducted under the auspices of the Communicable Diseases Network Australia New Zealand. The system coordinates the national surveillance of more than 40 communicable diseases or disease groups endorsed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Notifications of these diseases are made to State and Territory health authorities under the provisions of their respective public health legislation. De-identified core unit data are supplied fortnightly for collation, analysis and dissemination. For further information, see Commun Dis Intell 1999;23:58.

LabVISE is a sentinel reporting scheme. Twenty-one laboratories contribute data on the laboratory identification of viruses and other organisms. Data are collated and published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence every four weeks. These data should be interpreted with caution as the number and type of reports received is subject to a number of biases. For further information, see Commun Dis Intell 1999;23:58.

ASPREN currently comprises about 100 general practitioners from throughout the country. Up to 9,000 consultations are reported each week, with special attention to 12 conditions chosen for sentinel surveillance in 1999. CDI reports the consultation rates for seven of these. For further information, including case definitions, see Commun Dis Intell 1999;23:55-56.

This article was published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 23, No 10, 30 September 1999.